Stay With Me
by Tori Bradley
Summary: Sequel to 'Broken Road'... The Rangers are married... Ani and Jack struggle with their pasts and future... COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

HERE IT IS: THE SEQUEL TO THE 'BROKEN ROAD' SERIES. IT DEALS HEAVILY WITH ANI AND JACK, BUT SYD, SKY, Z, AND BRIDGE ARE IN THERE TOO!

PLEASE R&R AND ENJOY!

The first rays of light hit Jack's face as he inhaled deeply; the scent of vanilla invading his senses as he felt the body at his side stretch.

He instinctively pulled the body closer to him and received a giggle from the other person. His eyes opened slightly and he found himself yet again lost in the beautiful blue eyes of his wife.

Animaria kissed his cheek and cradled his head in her left hand; her ring shining in the light. Almost every morning for the past year had been like this, with the exception of Ani getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run or to work on her latest experiment.

Jack leaned down and kissed her lips hotly. "Good morning Mrs. Landors," he said as he wrapped both arms around her.

Ani smiled. "It is now," she said as she kissed him. The innocent kiss soon turned passionate, but just as they were about to escalate it, Jack's morpher began beeping.

Groaning, Jack grabbed his and opened it. "Landors here," he said.

"Jack, we need you to Command as soon as possible," Cruger said.

Jack closed the device and groaned, pulling her on top of his chest. It was times like this that he wished he was rid of SPD. All the thoughts he had months ago when he has considered leaving were starting to come back. He wanted to help people, but then there was Ani…

"That sounded important," she said as she settled herself. Jack kissed her temple and hugged her tightly before rising to dress.

Even after a year of service, all six members of B-Squad were still on active duty, though minor events and disturbances went to C-Squad.

Ani sat up, holding the bed sheet against her naked body, grinning as she watched her husband walk around the room looking for his various items for the day.

"What are you up to today?" he asked as he sat on the bed, lacing up his boots. Ani grinned and wrapped her arms around him from behind, gently kissing his neck.

"Syd and I are going over some tests on the new computer upgrades on the zords," she said as she kissed his earlobe. She suddenly stopped her sweet torture and sat up.

Jack turned and saw the odd look on her face.

"What is it?"

"Something's wrong," Ani said as she sat back a little. "I can feel it… Sky's nervous."

Jack zipped his jacket and knew that if she could feel what her twin was feeling, then something was definitely wrong. After a few more minutes, Jack walked down the hallways of the newly built SPD apartments into the Command Center.

As always, Cruger was there with Kat. Sky appeared a moment later, followed by Bridge.

Commander Cruger looked at his gathered squad and saw that the Green Ranger looked more frazzled then usual. "Everything alright Carson?" Cruger asked.

Bridge stiffened a bit. "It's uh… it's Z Sir… she's not feeling well," Bridge said. "She's been sick for a few days."

Bridge and Z had been married for a little over a year now, having their wedding a few months before Ani and Jack. Sydney and Sky had been married for almost 2 years, and they were all happy as could be expected.

Cruger sighed. "Make sure she gets to the infirmary by the end of the day," he said gently. Bridge nodded his thanks.

"Commander? What's going on?" Sky asked at last.

Kat pulled up a hologram on the center console.

A human-like figure came on the screen, along with several crimes he had committed.

"His name is Jervix" Cruger said after a pause. "One of the most notorious thieves in the universe; wanted on three counts of aggravated assault and grand theft. He recently escaped a satellite prison and we believe that he's heading here."

"What's he after?" Jack asked.

Cruger pulled up another screen that showed an elderly man working diligently over a Bunsen burner. "A new explosive substance being developed here in New Tech. I want you three to go after him immediately. The sooner he's intercepted, the better."

"When would we be leaving?" Bridge asked.

"Tomorrow morning, 05:00."

They saluted and headed down the corridors.

"What's wrong with Z?" Jack asked as they reached Bridge and Z's apartment. The door opened and they all saw Z sitting in the living room.

"Uh," Bridge stumbled. "Well… you see…"

"I'm pregnant you moron," Z said to Jack. Jack stopped dead in his tracks and Sky could have sworn he saw a death glare going from the red to green ranger. Bridge went and sat next to his wife, placing an arm around her.

"Yeah," he said. "That's what I was going to tell you guys."

Sky walked over and patted Bridge on the back. Jack was still in a bit of shock.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Z prodded as Jack slowly made his way towards his 'sister.'

There was a knock on the door and Syd and Ani walked in. Ani looked at Jack and knew that something was happening.

"What's going on?" Syd said immediately as she saw the happy faces on everyone but Jack. Z rose and Bridge held her hand.

"I'm pregnant."

There was a small squeak from Syd as she nearly dove at her former roommate.

"That's so great! When are you due? What is it?" Syd prodded excitedly. Ani sensed the nervousness coming from her brother and grinned.

"_Maybe you're next_," she said to him telepathically.

"_You never know_," he replied back with a smile. This time, both Ani and Jack were shocked. Finally, Jack snapped out of it and hugged Z.

"Congratulations," he whispered as he released her. Ani looked at her husband and placed a hand on his arm. Jack looked at her and kissed her cheek. He turned to Sky and Bridge. "I'll meet you guys in the ship bay for inventory."

With that, he was gone and the girls were confused.

"Why do you have to do inventory in the ship bay?" Z asked as she sat.

"We're being sent on a mission," Sky said. Syd and Ani turned to him questioningly. "I'm sure Cruger will brief you guys on it… but we leave tomorrow."

"Where?" Syd asked nervously.

"Not sure really. A thief named Jervix escaped from satellite prison and we think he's heading here…"

"And Cruger thinks you can intercept him?" Ani asked. Sky nodded. "I've heard of him. Actually, dealt with him when I was on KO-35… he's vicious. He tried to raid the gold depository and nearly killed one of the guards."

"Well, you seem to know more about this than we do," Bridge began. "Maybe you should go talk to Cruger."

Ani thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah… I think I will…"

Down in the shuttle bay, Jack was going over the supplies they would need for the journey. His mind was working out what he was going to do… not only with the mission, but also with his life.

The passed years he had been at SPD had brought him so much, and yet he felt the need to get out and help those he once lived with. There were so many left homeless and orphaned after Grumm's attacks…

He had come to the conclusion that this was going to be his final mission for SPD. He knew he had to get out. The one thought that kept his mind screaming at him, was Ani. She meant the world to him and he loathed telling her of his plan.

He wasn't sure how exactly she would react to it, but deep down he hoped she would understand… and hopefully go with him.

When Z had announced she was pregnant, that had made up his mind. He hoped one day he and Ani would start a family, but he didn't want to raise his child in the halls of SPD.

He had been denied a childhood with loving parents and he refused to put his own child in the constant threat of losing him or Ani… they both had lost their parents in one form or another because of SPD…

"Jack," Cruger said as he saw Jack staring out into space. He had suspected for some time now that his Red Ranger was preparing to leave the ranks.

"Commander," Jack answered as he went back to checking his list. "Was there something you needed?"

"Actually yes… I wanted to know what your intentions are after this mission," he said frankly. "I do not doubt your loyalty to SPD or myself, however I need to know if arrangements need to be made."

"What arrangements?" Ani said as she entered the bay in search of the Commander. Jack quickly placed the data pad down.

"Arrangements for the mission," he said quickly. Cruger gave him a look that indicated that they would continue their conversation later.

Ani looked at him questioningly, but dismissed it for the time being. "I was actually looking for you Commander in regards to this mission." Cruger nodded. "Permission to speak freely?" Cruger nodded again.

"Why am I not going on this mission? With all due respect Sir, I have more intergalactic training than the others, as well as full knowledge of Jervix and his crimes. I've dealt with him before while I was on KO 35 and I see no reason why…"

"Ani, I would like you here to monitor the mission should anything go wrong. Syd, and Z will stay to assist you."

Ani looked at him in shock. "But Sir…"

Cruger interrupted her. "My orders are as follows; Jack, Sky, and Bridge go. You, Syd, and Z stay. That is all." Ani was about to protest, but Cruger sent her a glare that meant 'enough.'

Ani clicked her heals together and saluted him, a clearly pissed off and hurt expression on her face as she left.

Cruger turned to Jack. "I suggest you speak with your wife before you decide anything," he said as he retreated as well.

Jack sank onto a crate and ran his fingers through his hair…


	2. Chapter 2

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Ani fumed.

Sydney sighed as she watched her sister in law pace around the lab. "Well, he _is_ sort of our Commanding officer," she said as she typed away; the new upgrades for the zords they had been working on were nearly finished.

Ani walked over to a console and removed a circuit board. "I mean seriously- I know I'd feel better knowing that someone with experience in space would be with them," she said as she brought it over to her desk and began tweaking with some wires. "You're the computer wiz around here. What if something up there goes wrong and we're not there to fix it? Why aren't you going either? It's like he's sending them in blind!"

Syd ceased her typing and sighed heavily. "Ani, you know that they're trained. It's not like they haven't done this sort of thing before."

"How are you taking this so lightly? Aren't you the least bit pissed off that your husband's being sent on a dangerous mission and you can't be there? I thought we were a team?"

"I… I asked not to go."

Ani stopped her tinkering and stared at Syd in shock. Usually she was one of the first to volunteer for anything. Especially if it meant watching her husband's back.

"Why?"

Syd bit her lip a little. "Sky and I wanted to wait until we were absolutely sure but… I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant too." She said the last part so softly that Ani thought she heard wrong.

"You're… pregnant? Really?"

Syd nodded slightly and saw the tears shining in Ani's eyes. She had a feeling that this would happen. With Z announcing it, and now her, she knew that Ani felt left out somewhat. They were a team as she had said; always doing everything together.

"Are you ok with it? Honestly?" the pink ranger asked.

Ani walked over and hugged her. "Of course I am! I'm going to have a niece or nephew to spoil!" she said laughing a little.

Syd released her. "Not too much!" They both laughed a little and returned to their work.

Ani couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to her and Jack. They had talked about having kids almost immediately after they were married, with Ani being from a big family and Jack having been orphaned, they knew they wanted a family of their own.

The process however was slow in coming. Ani was brilliant with DNA structures and genetics. After months of trying, she decided to take matters into her own hands and explore a reason as to why she wasn't pregnant yet… her findings surprised her to say the least… their genetic powers were the main reason for their failed attempts.

Ani's cells, designed to attract things, were passing right through Jack's, that were designed to phase through; they just couldn't hold onto each other. It had taken her weeks of research and models to discover that their genes weren't combining at a key stage in development…

She had broken the news to Jack, but he still held out hope that somehow they would be able to have a child of their own.

Ani turned to her work again and couldn't help but feel jealous of her teammates and the lives they would soon bring into the world. Until it was her time, she planned on staying in her lab and working on things to distract her…

The rest of the day went by with the normal activities. The guys finished their workups for the mission, Ani and Syd worked in the lab, and Z had been sent out on a routine patrol. Night was upon them quickly and the rangers were all a bit apprehensive of the upcoming mission.

Bridge lay sleeping with Z curled up with him, his hands resting over his child.

Down the hall, Sky walked into his bedroom and saw Sydney rolled over on her side, seemingly asleep. He walked over and lay down next to her, his flannel pants rubbing against her short clad legs.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Syd asked softly as she turned over to face him. Sky tenderly caressed her face.

"I'm not exactly sure… it could be anywhere from a week to a month." He saw tears gather in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. "Please don't cry."

"I can't help it… what if… what if you're not here for me… for the baby…"

Sky pulled her close and kissed her forehead. They had suspected she was pregnant, and upon feeling the, albeit small, bump on her lower abdomen they knew for sure.

"I swear Syd, I'll never leave you or our baby." He kissed her gently and they succumbed to sleep.

Meanwhile, Ani was sitting in bed going over the final plans for the mission. She heard Jack approaching and soon he was nuzzling up to her neck, kissing her lightly.

"Can't you see I'm working here?" she said softly, not wanting to focus on the paperwork at all…

"Yes I can," he replied as he took the work from her and placed it on the nightstand. "But I think you need a break."

With that, he swiftly maneuvered them, so he was hovering over her. "Why Jackson Landors, are you trying to take advantage me?" she said laughing a little as he nibbled at her neck.

"You bet." Ani sighed happily as he kissed her gently, cradling her face in his hand. He paused and started into her eyes.

Ani saw that there was something he was keeping from her…

"What is it?" she asked gently. Jack rolled off her and held her against his chest.

"Do you… do you ever get sick of it here? The work, the people, being a ranger?"

Ani propped herself up on her elbow and sighed.

"Yeah… sometimes I do… especially today when Cruger barked at me. I don't understand what his problem is. It's the kind of mission that can go wrong instantly and the only person who has experience with extensive space travel is stuck here on Earth."

Jack ran his fingers through her dark blonde hair. He had heard a slight cracking in her voice and kissed her temple. "Are you scared?" Ani only nodded. Jack leaned over and kissed her gently on her lips. "I promise I'll come back to you… nothing could keep me away… plus you're going to be watching our backs." Ani again nodded and kissed him.

"I just don't want SPD to take you away… like my father…" Jack saw this as his segway. Although he didn't want to talk about it right now, he knew he'd never get another chance.

"I won't let that happen… after this one I won't be going on any more missions."

Ani looked at him with a surprised expression on her face. "You're serious?" Jack nodded and Ani kissed him. She was pleased to know that after this he wouldn't be putting his life in danger anymore… however, she didn't know his true motives behind it yet…

Jack traced her face with his index finger and kissed her cheek, leaving a trail of kisses down to her neck.

Ani sighed happily as she felt his hands on her, lifting her clothes off slowly. Jack caressed every inch of her, as she did him, and together they slowly made love, not realizing what the next few weeks would bring…

A/N: PLEASE FORGIVE THE SHORTNESS OF THIS CHAPTER! THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER I PROMISE!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

Very early the next morning, Jack rolled over, intending to wrap his wife in his arms, but he found her spot empty.

He rolled on his back and saw her silhouette next to the window, staring out at the evening's final stars.

"Ani?" he called softly. "Come back to bed."

Ani closed her eyes briefly and turned back to him. "I can't sleep Jack… I don't know what it is… it's the strangest feeling." She turned back to the window and Jack groaned lightly as he got out of bed.

His arms wrapped around her and Ani leaned into him. "What's wrong?" he whispered in her ear.

Ani had been fighting this all day. She didn't want to give in to her insecurities, but her emotions were running high right now with the threat of Jack never returning to her…

"Syd… and Z…" she said softly as she felt the first tears fall. Jack felt her tense and knew why she was upset. He too felt the pain his wife was enduring.

"I know," he said as he turned her in his arms and held her to his chest. Ani cried then… openly cried for the first time in a long time.

"It's not fair Jack! We've been trying for so long!" Jack held her as she let her frustrations out. "Is it so much to ask to want to have a baby?"

Jack kissed her forehead. "I want a baby as much as you do… believe me. We'll have our chance."

"Not unless one of us loses our powers," she said as her sobs faded. "We're incompatible."

Jack held her away from him and stared into her baby blue eyes. "Don't think like that…. Ani, I love you… that's all that really matters. And someday whoever's up there will give us a baby."

Ani sighed and hugged him tighter. "But what… what if you're mission fails? I don't know what I'll do…"

Jack kissed her lips gently. "We won't fail… Sky won't let us." Ani chuckled a bit at that. "I promise to make it back to you." He placed his finger under her chin, tilting it up. Without another word, he kissed her deeply, picking her up in his arms and bringing her back to bed…

Later that morning, Ani stood with Syd and Z in the shuttle bay watching their husbands get their final briefing from Commander Cruger.

Z placed a hand over her slightly rounded stomach, and for the first time Ani noticed the little bumps currently occupying her two teammates' abdomens. A movement in front of her caused her to turn her attention back to the guys as they walked towards them.

Bridge embraced a tearful Z, as Sky did the same to Sydney. Jack stopped in front of her and took her hands gently in his.

"We should be in contact in a few hours," he began. Ani nodded her head and brought her arms around his neck, holding him tightly.

"Be careful," she cautioned. "He's tricky," she said softly. Jack nodded and pulled back, kissing her lips softly. "I love you."

Jack held her face in his hands and kissed her once more. "Love you too." He then turned to Z and Syd, while Sky approached her, embracing her.

"Take care of Syd for me," he said softly.

"I will," she replied. She felt Sky's emotions turn to sudden fear and she took his face in her hands. '_You'll come back Sky… don't think about it,'_ she said telepathically.

Sky nodded, understanding that she was feeling his fear… he feared he'd be taken like his father had all those years ago…

'_I know,'_ he replied. They hugged once more before they switched teammates again. Bridge gave her a tight hug and they all broke apart.

The girls gathered together and watched as their teammates boarded the shuttle and took off…

Hours later in the far reaches of the Milky Way, Jack was staring out into the vastness of space going over his plan of attack in his mind.

They would cloak the ship, find Jervix, intercept, contain him, and go home. It seemed simple enough, but he knew that some things were bound to go wrong.

The thought of impending doom brought the harsh reality that they may in fact fail. From what he had learned of Jervix from Ani, he was defiantly not a force to be reckoned with.

The thought of his wife brought a pain to his chest. He didn't have the heart to tell her of his plans to leave SPD when this was all over. Her fear of never being able to conceive a child was a shared one, but he refused to believe in the scientific evidence she had found. He had seen too many things in his life to think that miracles weren't possible.

When they got back to New Tech, he and Ani would move away from SPD regulations and stresses and start their family…

"Jack?" Sky's voice came through the communicator on the wall. "I think you should come look at this." Jack heard the urgency in his second in command's voice and ran to the bridge of the ship.

"What's up?" he asked as he sat in his seat in between Bridge and Sky.

"An energy reading coming from ahead of us," Bridge said.

"Can you sense them?" Jack asked. Bridge shook his head.

"They're too far out for me to get any kind of aura," he replied.

Jack nodded and watched as Sky pulled up a type of visual. His eyes widened as he saw a ship heading towards them.

"It's moving fast," Sky said.

"Any sign as to what kind of ship?" Jack asked as he pulled up the visual on his monitor.

Sky punched in a few codes. "Nothing in our database… Bridge?"

Bridge pushed a button and turned to them. "Nothing," he said.

Jack opened up a communications line…

Kat Manx stood at her console, idly cataloguing data when an alarm sounded. Immediately she pulled up a visual of Jack.

"Hey Kat," he said. "We've reached the outer rim of the Milky Way and there's a ship heading our way."

Kat confirmed their coordinates and began typing furiously. "It's him," she said at last. She watched as the ship inched closer. "Put up your cloak and shields," she said after a moment. Her eyes widened as she saw the ship increase its speed. "Do it now! He's nearly on you!" she yelled.

Jack followed her orders as the alarms on their ship began to sound erratically.

Sydney chose that moment to enter the Command Center and nearly fainted when she saw the screen. The boys were frantically punching buttons and yelling at each other.

"Kat, what's happening?" she said near tears as she took her place at her console.

"Jervix found them before they had a chance to put up their cloak," Kat replied as she slammed her fist in her console. "Their shields aren't strong enough. I can't get this thing to upload!"

Syd immediately went to work, furiously entering various keystrokes in hopes of transferring extra power to them.

"Kat! Something's wrong! I can feel it!" Ani cried as she entered command with Cruger and Z in tow.

"Jervix found them and they need more power for the outer shield," Syd said calmly as she attempted to figure out what to do.

"What about a satellite? Or a nearby planet?" Z suggested. "Anything!"

Ani pulled up a chair at her console and recalled their coordinates. "There's a satellite a few miles south of them," she said. Ani passed the coordinates to Syd, who then routed them to the ship.

"Sky," Cruger said. "We're sending you some extra power for the shields."

Sky heard the crackled transmission and tapped into the signal. "Bridge! What's our intercept time?" he said as calmly as he could.

The green ranger stared at the screen. "60 seconds," Bridge said in shock. "They must have some kind of hyperdrive…"

"Brace for impact!" Sky cried.

Everyone held their breath as Jervix fired…


	4. Chapter 4

The screen in the command center went black and everything was quiet. Cadets standing around were frozen as they watched their remaining rangers rooted to the spot.

After what seemed like a small lifetime, Ani came to her senses.

"Syd get that link back now! Z, rewind the footage and see if you can determine the time of impact! Kat I need all the known hideouts of Jervix, and Commander… I need a ship," she said as she pulled up the last coordinates that Jack had sent.

"Animaria, I'm not giving you a ship," Cruger said as he watched the others around him frantically follow her orders.

"I'll take my zord then," she said as she turned to him.

"I forbid you to use an SPD-"

"I designed it and built it," Ani snapped. "Not to mention that my _husband _and _brother_ are up there! I'm not just going to sit back and wait!"

Kat, Sydney, and Z all turned to Ani and they saw the tears that had fallen down her face. That was all it took for Sydney and Z to start crying softly as well.

Cruger stood his ground. "If you take your zord I will be forced to relieve you of your duties here at SPD."

"Commander you can't do this!" Sydney shouted as she stood by Ani's side. "I trust Ani completely. If she thinks she can do this then let her!"

"Stand down Cadet Meyers," he said to Sydney. Z walked over to Ani and Syd and stood her ground.

"If you release Ani then Syd and I will walk too," Z said. Cruger looked to Sydney and she nodded. "Those are our friends and family up there. You know better than any one of us what it's like to nearly lose the one you love. You can't stand there and tell us that if that was Isydia up there you wouldn't do the same thing."

Kat saw the hurt look in her comrade's eyes and knew that Z had hit a hot spot with her comments.

After thinking for a moment Cruger sighed. "You're right Carson… I would do the same thing." He paused a moment as he heard a faint beeping noise coming from one of the consoles.

The girls turned to the scattered image that appeared on the screen and their breath left them.

Morphed, in their SWAT gear were Sky, Bridge, and Jack.

Kat pulled up what communications they had. "Rangers? Are you alright?" she asked.

"The ship… heavy damage… Jervix… containment… Jack… injuries…" Bridge's broken up babbling was barely heard over the elation in the command center.

Ani only heard one part though… Jack was injured. She saw him in the corner of the screen and she could tell he was extremely fatigued.

"Need… assistance… fuel levels and oxygen dropping…" Bridge got out.

Kat confirmed their coordinates. "We're sending the Flyers, Bridge," she said calmly. She turned to Cruger and he nodded.

"Landers, get up there," he said to Ani as he turned and walked out.

Syd and Z let out happy sighs and tears as they embraced Ani. Ani got out of the embrace and just about sprinted down to the hanger under the Academy. Within minutes she was morphed and piloting the SWAT Megazord into space.

As he watched her take off, Cruger clenched the metal railing in front of him. He had known that Ani was loyal to SPD and would be for the rest of her days. He truly believed that she wouldn't have defied him if he had stayed firm in his decision to dismiss her.

She was one of the finest people he had ever had the pleasure of working with. She was extremely intelligent and sure of herself. He never saw her fight a battle and lose, and he had come to a very serious decision… when he left the Academy he would promote Kat to Commander, and hoped Ani would take on Kat's former role in the technical department.

He hadn't told her as much, but Kat knew; it was her idea after Cruger asked her to take over for him. Animaria was the only person Kat trusted enough to take on her former job. Ani could handle it all right… but what about Jack?

Kat walked out to the balcony where he was standing and took up a spot next to him.

"You think she'll still want the job?" she questioned carefully.

"Yes," he said. "I do… As soon as they all get back I'll sit her down and we'll officially announce my relocation to headquarters and your promotion." Kat nodded her head.

"Sydney has contact with Ani and they all should be back within the next few hours." With that Kat returned to the command center and Cruger waited out the return of his rangers…

Nearly 10 hours later the SWAT Megazord returned to New Tech City and the Rangers were all reunited.

When Ani had reached them, she had been told the entire story which the boys were now relaying to Kat, Cruger, and their wives.

Apparently the extra power to the shields had worked enough for them to get their wits together and fire back at him.

Their shot hit his ship and it exploded instantly. Just as they were about to turn back though, they noticed their fuel and oxygen levels dropping. Jack went to the engine room to try and fix the problem, only to find that Jervix was hanging on to the ship, firing at it with a blaster of some sort.

Jervix fired relentlessly at the ship and Jack had been hit with flying pieces of debris. After informing Bridge and Sky, they all morphed just as Jervix gained entry to the ship. Jack took a heavy blast and Sky and Bridge immediately sprung into action.

The battle wasn't overly long, what with the criminal being outnumbered, and he was contained. The damage to the ship however was unfixable and they knew they would never make it back alive if Ani hadn't come when she did.

Jack was in the infirmary almost immediately with Ani by his side. Dr. Felix began taking numerous tests and Jack groaned.

"It's not like I haven't been hit in battle before doc," Jack winced as the feline drew some blood.

"I understand that cadet, but from the surveillance video you took a direct hit from an alien weapon. We need to take all the proper precautions." He finished his workup and left the room.

Ani took his hand and kissed it. "Honestly… are you feeling alright?" she asked gently.

"I'm a little sore in my shoulder, but besides a few bumps and bruises I feel fine," he said as he tried to sit up, only to wobble slightly.

Ani grinned. "And besides the dizziness?" Jack pulled her to him and kissed her gently.

"A few days of bed rest and I'll be fine."

Ani grinned cheekily. "Well then we're going to have to get you into bed as soon as possible." Ani was about to kiss him again when they heard someone clearing their throats.

Dr. Felix entered the room and handed Ani a readout. She looked over the chart and signed off.

"You're being released Jack, but I want you back here tomorrow for a follow-up," he said.

Jack didn't need to be told twice and, with Ani's help, he got out of the bed and they walked down to their apartment.

Ani opened the door and Jack headed straight for the bedroom where he promptly stripped down to his boxers and lay down under the rich bedding.

While Jack was in the other room, Ani checked their messages and sighed when she found one from Cruger requesting a meeting with her the day after tomorrow. From the tone in his voice things did not sound good.

Sighing, she turned the lights off, plunging the room into darkness and walked the short way to her bedroom. Once in her nightshirt, she climbed into bed and curled up next to her husband.

Jack's arm wound it's way around her and he began kissing her neck. Ani knew where this was going to lead and rolled over to face him.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You're injured, not to mention fatigued from the trip and-"

"Can you get rid of the scientist and let me make love to my wife please?" he asked gently.

Ani sighed happily and climbed on top of him. "If that's what you want… but don't blame me if you're sore in the morning," she said as she leaned over to kiss him.

Jack grinned devilishly and rolled them so he was on top of her…

Hours later, Jack rose from bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Ani was nestled safely in his arms and he hated having to wake her to get up. He kissed her forehead, and as he had done numerous times, he used his powers so not to disturb her…

What happened next was something he was not expecting. As he lifted his arms, they began to lift Ani. Jack's eyes widened and he shook his head. He tried again, but got the same result.

Panic now rose within him as he cautiously got up. He stared at his hands and attempted to phase through the mattress… nothing happened.

Jack looked to the closed door and, although his brain told him not to, he ran towards it.

Ani shot up from bed when she heard Jack slam into the door. She looked and saw Jack laying on his back groaning.

Instantly she was up and at his side. "What the hell happened?" she asked,

Jack sat up and held his head, still in shock.

"My… my powers," he muttered. Ani looked at him strangely and waved her hand, turning the lights on slightly.

"What happened?"

Jack took her hand in his and pushed against it. "My powers… they're gone."


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Felix sat at his computer going over every possible reason as to why Jack Landors was once again back in the infirmary. He had been roused from his bed immediately by Ani, and together they were bound determined to find out what was wrong with Jack's powers.

Kat had also woken up at the early hour and was performing various tests on the Red Ranger.

Meanwhile, Jack was restless… and pissed off was a polite way of explaining his mood. In his mind this was the last straw separating him and SPD. Because of SPD he had lost his powers… powers that had helped him survive on the streets… powers he received from his parents…

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he cried out at last, tossing a tray across the room.

Ani got up from her seat next to Dr. Felix and sat next him on the bed.

"You need to calm down Jack… please," she said softly. Jack sighed and let Ani hold him for a moment. "Kat and Dr. Felix are breaking down your blood and tissue samples so I can analyze your DNA… that blast may have done more damage then we thought."

"So you're telling me that my powers are gone? Just like that?" he challenged.

Ani held his hand and kissed it. "I don't know yet. I'll have to look over everything."

They were silent then, and all they could do was wait for Kat to finish her testing.

Hours passed slowly, and the other members of the squad had come in to visit, but were soon off on their various patrols of the day. Ani, by now, had Jack's test results and didn't like what she saw.

The blast had somehow stalled his powers. They weren't gone completely, but they would be of no use to him for a while…

"What happened? Why can't I use my powers?" Jack asked nervously when Ani sat with him.

Ani sighed and handed him a printout, showing his DNA structure. Ani pointed to a section. "That weapon literally froze you genetic abilities. This section here should be a reddish color, and you can see now that it's nearly white."

"So how long until I'm back to normal?"

She showed him another printout that had been taken a few hours after he had initially been brought in. She showed him the same section of DNA. "Here, it's a little more pink… so you will recover from this… I'm just not sure how long it's going to take."

Jack stared blankly at the page in front of him and felt his fist closing around it. Ani placed her hand on his arm, but Jack violently pulled it away.

Ani looked at his strangely. "Jack, you're going to be fine. There's no permanent damage done from what I can see," she said softly.

"But what if you're wrong? What happens if my powers never come back? What then?" he asked angrily.

"They'll come back," she said, trying to keep a lid on her temper. "You have to trust me."

Jack sighed and took her hand. "I do trust you… I'm sorry, but I'm just sick of all this," he said.

"Sick of all what? Being in the infirmary? I'm sure Dr. Felix will discharge you-"

"No," he said at last. "Sick of this… SPD."

Ani's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

At that moment, Cruger entered and Jack knew that he would have to tell Ani everything tonight…

"Animaria, I need to speak with you," Cruger said. Jack looked at her oddly, but Ani just followed the big blue dog out of the room without looking back at her husband.

What had Jack meant by that? Was he seriously thinking of leaving SPD? What about her? What was happening?

Ani's mind ramblings stopped when Cruger entered his office and Ani shut the door behind her, taking a seat.

"I'm going to get straight to the point," he began. "Your behavior yesterday was unacceptable, irrational, and hot headed. You put yourself, your teammates, and I in a very precarious situation."

Ani said tall in her seat and awaited her punishment.

"However, your ability to work in a high stress environment and your delegation of responsibilities is admirable. Having said that, as well as observing you over the years, I would like to offer you the position of head technical advisor here at the academy."

Ani was at a loss. Was he serious?

"Sir… I really don't know what to say… what about Dr. Manx? What will happen to her?" Ani questioned. Kat was a friend… the lat thing she wanted to do was take anything away from her.

"Kat is also being promoted… to Commander, as I have been reassigned to SPD headquarters."

Again, Ani was speechless. This was a huge promotion. All her years of training and hard work were being recognized, not to mention she would be able to continue with the experiments and upgrades that she had planned… but then there was Jack, and what he had said a few moments ago…

"Can I have some time?" she asked after a pause. Cruger growled a little, but he knew she had to speak with Jack.

"I need to know before the end of the week," he said. "Dismissed." Ani rose and saluted him, leaving the office and heading back down to the infirmary.

When she got back, Dr. Felix handed her Jack's discharge papers and told her that her husband had left a few minutes ago. Ani sighed and thanked him for all his help before heading back down to their apartment.

Inside, Jack was sitting in the living room staring out at the view of New Tech City. He couldn't help but think of all the homeless people out there tonight just looking for a warm bed and a clean change of clothes. He missed the days he and Z had out there. Sure they had their share of hard times, but he missed being out there among the people, living by his own rules and helping the less fortunate.

Just sitting there in his cushy apartment made him sick. There were so many others that would never get anything like this…

The door opened and he could smell Ani's perfume wafting to his nose as the door closed behind her. He let out a heavy sigh and was definitely not looking forward to this conversation.

Ani sank onto the couch next to him and he instinctively pulled her into his arms. They just sat there silently for several minutes before Ani found her voice.

"Were you serious earlier? When you said you were sick of it here?" she asked softly.

Jack stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah… I was." He paused as she slowly got out of his arms and looked at him… silent tears shining in her eyes.

Jack took her hands in his, their rings touching lightly. "When I told you earlier this week that the mission would be my last, I meant it. I've been cooped up here for too long following regulations and fighting mindless aliens… I almost forgot why I accepted my morpher in the first place. I want to get out there," he said pointing to the window. "There are so many people that need help, and I can't just sit here thinking about them having nothing when I have everything."

Ani smiled a little. She had known her husband would forever be called to the streets where he grew up. He was always trying to help people no matter what the cost.

"How do you want to help them Jack? You have access to all sorts of supplies that you could use to help those people. It doesn't mean you have to leave."

"But it does. You don't know what it's like out there. Most of the folks are ashamed to be living on the streets. You don' know what it's like to get handouts from an organization who's only donating to save face."

"So you'd rather steal it and be a thief?" she retorted. Jack closed his eyes as if he had been wounded. Ani instantly felt bad. "I didn't mean it like that," she said softly. "But I just don't see why you want to go back to that sort of life… not when you've built up a good one here... with me."

"I can't stay here anymore! I don't understand how you can either!" he burst out as he rose. "I mean SPD pretty much ran your life from the time you were 13 until now. Haven't you ever wondered what it's like out there?"

Ani felt her temper rising. "I have been out there Jack. I've been to a different galaxy for crying out loud!"

"But that was for the same organization that took your father away from you and nearly got me killed today! How can you keep defending it?"

"Because it's all I've ever known Jack! Damn it, I thought that you of all people would understand what my work means to me. I love it here! I love my job and everything that it's brought me, including you!"

Jack ran his hands through his dread locks. "So you're telling me that you'd stay here if I left?"

"What are you talking about? If you decided to leave SPD you'd still be in the city," she said softly, not believing what he was insinuating.

"I don't know if I'd still be in the city… I mean of course I would be for a time, but I want to see the world Ani. See what good we've done, and what good I could still do… I was hoping you'd come with me of course…"

Ani stared at him in shock. "Jack, this is crazy, not to mention sudden."

"Believe me, I've been thinking about leaving from the moment I got in."

This time Ani looked visibly wounded. "And I'm not a good enough reason to not leave?" Jack saw the tears shining in her eyes. "You asked me to marry you and I did. We made a vow to stay true to each other and you're just telling me now that you never wanted to stay here in the first place? You didn't think to maybe talk to me beforehand?"

Jack went back and kneeled before her. "I should have told you, I admit that, but you should have told me that you never wanted to leave… why won't you come with me?"

Ani let her tears fall. "For the same reason you won't stay."

She got up and walked into their bedroom, coming out a few moments later with her backpack.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"To my parents' house," she said, clearly upset. "If you want to leave and go play Robin Hood, go. I'm staying here as the new technical advisor."

Jack balled his fists. "Fine then. Go be SPD's little poster child instead of following your heart."

Ani raised her hand and a nearby book whacked Jack in the face. "I hope someday I'll have to catalogue you in containment!"

The door opened and shut faster than Jack could have comprehended.

It only took him a few minutes to pack his belongings and write his resignation.

He slipped the letter and his morpher under Cruger's door and stormed out of the academy…


	6. Chapter 6

Taylor Meyers handed the last dish from their dinner to her youngest son, Lucas who placed it in the dishwasher.

"That's it little one," she said as she walked towards the living room.

"Mum, please. You know you can stop calling me that anytime you want," Lucas replied as he followed her.

Taylor grinned at him. His shoulder length blonde hair and brown eyes reminded her of both herself and Eric.

"Lucky, you'll always be my little one, no matter how old you get," she retorted.

Lucas smiled, but his face soon became somber.

Taylor recognized that look; her youngest some had some sort of premonition abilities that he had inherited from Taylor and Eric's days working for SPD.

"Lucky? What is it?"

"I think… I think Ani's coming," he replied softly. Taylor immediately looked out the window. Sure enough, she saw her daughter pull into the garage on her motorcycle.

"Oh boy," Taylor said as she heard Ani's helmet hit the floor of the adjoining garage.

"She's not in a good mood is she?"

The door slammed and Taylor looked at him. "Somehow I don't think she is," she replied.

When Ani appeared before them Taylor was in a bit of shock… clear tear stains covered her daughter's cheeks.

"Mama," Ani squeaked out before bursting into tears again.

Taylor immediately took her eldest in her arms and let her cry for the first time in a long time.

Lucas took that as his cue to exit, and went up to his room. He knew that Ani would talk to him eventually.

Ani let her mother hold her and lead her over to the couch. Once seated, Taylor gently stroked her hair. Her daughter was very much like her; hardly ever getting upset unless it was truly awful.

After a few minutes Ani pulled away a bit and wiped her eyes.

"Oh Animaria," Taylor soothed. "What happened? Did something happen to Jack? Or Sky?"

Ani bit her lips together and held back more tears, nodding a bit. "It's Jack," she began. "We… we had a fight, and I left."

Over the next few minutes Taylor heard the story from earlier in the day and just held Ani as more tears came.

"I don't know what to do," Ani sobbed. "I love him so much and yet I hate his guts right now!"

Taylor sighed and smiled a bit. Ani and Jack were so much like her and Eric that it wasn't funny.

"Why didn't he stay? Why's he so stubborn?" Ani asked softly.

"For the same reason you are," Taylor said gently. "You both care strongly for your work and this time it just got to be too much."

Ani could only nod her head a bit, understanding what her mother was saying. "Was it like that with you and papa when you went back to the Air Force?" she asked.

Taylor nodded a bit. "For a time. I was almost done my service time and I chose to stay… he was pissed."

Ani laughed a little then, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Where is papa? And Collin?"

"Your father's still at the SGA with Wes, and Collin's on rounds tonight at the hospital," she said. "But your father should be home any time."

Ani wiped her eyes and stood. "I can't let him see me like this," she said as she grabbed her bag. "I'm going to head upstairs to shower… can I stay here for a while? Until I figure some stuff out? I just can't go back there yet."

"Of course you can stay! You never have to worry about that." Ani hugged her mother and went upstairs. As she heard the door to Ani room close, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

The phone rang then and she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mum, is Ani there? Is she alright?" Sky's frantic voice came over the other end.

"Yes Sky. She's here… she's upstairs right now."

"I swear mum, I'm going to kill Jack for what he did."

"How do you know what he did?"

"I can feel it… he hurt her… he resigned and left his morpher and now he's gone."

Taylor was shocked to say the least. "He and Ani had a fight," she began. "It's up to her if she wants to tell you the rest. She's going to stay here for a little while, so tell Cruger to give her a break."

There was a pause for a few moments before Sky sighed heavily. "Alright… just tell her that we're all here for her."

Taylor said her goodbyes and hung up. She placed her hands on the side of the table and prayed that everything would work out.

"Taylor?"

She turned when she saw Eric enter looking confused.

"Is Ani here? Her bike's in the garage. I almost hit it when I drove up," he said sheepishly.

Taylor walked over to him and hugged him tight. "Yeah… she's upstairs… her and Jack had a fight."

Eric let her go and she saw the fire in his eyes. "What did he do to her?"

Taylor placed her hand on his arm. "Remember when you were angry because I went back to the Force?" Eric nodded. "Well, it appears that Ani wanted to stay at SPD and Jack didn't… they had a fight and she came home… Sky called and said Jack resigned and took off."

"So he just left her?"

"She left him too Eric." Eric walked towards the stairs and Taylor stopped him. "She needs time Eric… let her come to you."

Hours later, Ani emerged from her room in sweatpants and a tank top. It was passed midnight as she made her way down the stairs towards the kitchen.

She smiled softly when she saw her father sitting at the table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

"I knew you'd come down sooner or later," he said as she sat with him, stealing a cookie out of his hand.

"You know you shouldn't be eating this stuff at your age right?" she asked.

Eric grinned. "You've been talking to your Auntie Jen haven't you?" he asked laughing a little.

Ani smiled as she ate her favorite comfort food. They sat in silence for a few moments before Eric reached out and placed his large hand over hers.

"Are you alright? Honestly?"

Ani took a drink of milk and sighed. "I don't know papa… things are just so messed up right now," she said keeping her emotions in check. "I just don't understand how things went so wrong so fast."

Eric squeezed her hand. "When you and Sky were little and you were abducted, I thought the same thing… but everything worked out then. Just like it did when Lucky was born… just like when your mother was injured in battle…"

Ani saw a flash of guilt cross her father's dark features and she squeezed his hand back.

Eric smiled a little. "You just need to have faith… I know it sounds odd coming from me, but there was a time when I didn't want a family or anyone around me at all… I know now that I was never really whole until I met your mother and we had you and your brothers."

Ani got up and hugged him.

"And if I know Jack, he'll realize that he needs you… just like you need him."

Ani released him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks papa… I love you," she said as she headed back towards her room.

Eric cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and was soon in bed, holding Taylor close. He had been completely truthful with Ani, and he knew that everything that was happening had some sort of strange way of working out.

Little did he know that he was more right than he thought…


	7. Chapter 7

The drumming of rain was the only sound that reached Jack's ears as he lay in his rented room staring at the ceiling.

For the passed two weeks he had been moving from city to city, and was currently staying in a small hostel on the outskirts of a city called Mariner Bay. Initially his plan had been to stay in New Tech, but then he realized that most, if not all, of SPD would be out looking for him… especially Sky… hopefully Ani…

He stared at the simple white gold band on his left hand and sighed heavily. He had been stupid. Stupid, stubborn, and too proud to even listen to her. She had done the same thing, and deep down he knew that she understood her part in their separation.

Lightning flashed over the ocean in front of his window and he remembered back to he and Ani's first night together in the clock tower in Silver Hills. It had been raining that night and they had had a fight… all because he didn't trust her judgment… because he didn't listen to the whole story.

Rolling onto his side, he clung to a pillow… the place where his wife should have been. He regretted leaving her the way he did, but not that he left SPD. He knew he could never go back to that life. He hadn't thought about the possibility of he and his wife both living out their dreams without having to be in the situation they were in now.

He had literally kicked himself thousands of times for not clearly thinking things out and talking to her.

He wanted to talk to her desperately…

In New Tech City, Ani had returned to SPD a few days ago. Her family had been wonderful throughout this whole ordeal and after her short vacation, she knew she had to get back to work in her new position as head technician.

Sitting on the couch in her apartment, she couldn't focus on the paperwork in front of her. Everything around reminded her of Jack.

The photos hanging on the walls, his sneakers still sitting near the door… everything around her brought back memories.

Her time away had opened her eyes to what had happened between her and Jack. They had both been wrong… neither one of them had thought things through. They could have had a life together in New Tech City working separate jobs. Now that she thought about it, they could have opened up a mission or a food bank to try and help the homeless, and Ani could have kept her job.

Frustrated, she tossed the papers down on the coffee table and headed to bed, wishing that he were there to hold her…

Four more weeks passed like that, and the others around the base began to see a change in Ani.

She wasn't the same happy go lucky person she used to be. Sky could feel his sister's pain and loneliness and it scared him greatly. She refused to talk to anyone about it, save their mother. She wouldn't even talk to him telepathically.

Z and Syd saw how low Ani was, and decided to take matters into their own hands by treating her to a girls' day out, completely unknown to her.

Bridge entered the lab and saw Ani going over some charts and looking worse for wear. Unknown to her, he waved his hand in front of him and read her aura. Not long after they defeated Grumm, he decided to try life without the gloves, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he could function just fine. Not to mention it was wonderful to finally feel Z's skin beneath his own…

Ani's aura nearly threw him for a loop when he figured out what was wrong with her. Reading a bit further, he saw that she didn't know what was happening to her… he knew she needed to find out on her own, so he stayed quiet.

Carefully he made his way over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit but relaxed when she saw his smiling eyes.

"Hi Bridge," she said. "What's going on?"

Bridge took the papers out of her hands. "I was sent on a mission to kick you out of here," he said. "You need a break, and I think Z and Syd are going to help you relax."

Ani smirked. "If this is some ploy to get me to go baby shopping with them again," she threatened. The past few weeks had been filled with looking for cribs, clothes, and other assortments for the coming children. Needless to say Ani was over it. Of course she was going to cherish the kids, but she still felt like she was being cheated by not having one of her own.

"They're not taking you shopping again. They just want to get you out of here for a little while."

Ani looked at the figures on her computer screen. She didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't been feeling well lately… maybe this was just what she needed.

"Make sure you shut down everything before you leave… and thanks," she said to Bridge as she grabbed her jacket. Bridge saluted her as she left, smirking to himself.

Once outside the room, Syd and Z immediately grabbed her by her arms and out to the vehicle bay.

Hours later, all three girls were sitting in cushioned chairs in white robes, leaving their newly pampered toes to dry.

"This is heavenly," Syd said as she munched on a few small snacks the spa had to offer. It was her favorite spa in the whole city, and everyone there knew her by name. She had somehow managed to get all three of them in today.

Z grinned and placed a hand over her swollen stomach. "I think they like it too," she said.

Syd nearly choked on her food and Ani's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They?" Syd got out after she swallowed. "What the hell do you mean by they?"

Z grinned sheepishly. She hadn't intended to have her news come out like this.

"Um… well I found out a few days ago that I'm having twins," she said nervously. "Kat explained that because of my powers that it could be a possibility."

Everything was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the soft trickle of a nearby fountain.

"Oh… my… gosh!" Sydney squealed at last. Ani too got over the shock and was congratulating Z.

"Thanks you guys," Z said. "Bridge said he knew right away though… something about my aura. That sneak!" she said laughing.

Ani smiled and laughed with them. "Any clue as to what you're having?" she asked.

"Bridge says a boy and a girl, but the sonogram didn't show yet," Z replied.

"You must have names picked out," Sydney said happily.

Z grinned. "We definitely have the boy's name… Daniel… after my father," she said softly.

Ani saw the pain in Z's eyes. Though she never met her Uncle Danny, she had been told wonderful things about him.

"Have you told anyone else about naming him for your dad?" Ani asked.

Z smiled. "I called Max when I found out I was pregnant… he was so happy I thought he was going to come all the way here from Turtle Cove," she said grinning.

After it had been found that she was Danny and Kendall's daughter, Taylor had arranged for Z to meet with the Wildforce Team. She immediately clicked with all of them, especially Max who was acting every bit the father figure she always wanted.

"Alyssa and your mom want to have a baby shower in Turtle Cove for me."

"I'm sure they do. You'll finally get to meet Shayla," Ani commented.

"Yeah… I guess that's what my middle name is for, huh?"

They all started laughing a bit before Ani began to feel nauseous. Sydney saw her face pale a bit before she bolted out of the chair and into the restroom.

"What was that about?" Z asked. Syd stared at the door before a small smile formed on her face.

"You don't think she could be pregnant do you?" Syd asked softly.

Z sighed and placed her hand on her stomach. "Has she ever talked to you about the whole baby thing?" Syd shook her head. "Well, I talked to Jack… they… they can't get pregnant Syd. Their powers keep clashing. Ani ran some tests and there's no way…"

Ani emerged from the restroom and grabbed her purse. "I'm sorry, but I need to get back and lay down… I haven't been feeling well all week."

"We'll come with you," Syd said as she and Z rose. Ani silently thanked them as they helped her into the changing room. Moments later all three women were at the checkout desk.

Ani saw some of her favorite lotion and bought a few bottles. As they were walking out, she glanced at the date on her receipt and blanched again…

Later that night, Ani sat on the edge of her bathtub biting her fingernails. The minutes ticked by slowly and she couldn't help but feel sick again.

After what seemed like an eternity, she glanced at the small plastic stick on top of the sink.

"No," she breathed as she read the results. "This can't be happening… not now…"


	8. Chapter 8

Sky walked the silent hallways of the SPD Academy on his weekly night patrol. Everyone was in their quarters silently sleeping and he felt a great sense of pride in knowing that because of he and his friends and their efforts that the world was safe; a safe world for everyone, including his future child.

The thought of becoming a father brought a smile to his face. Sydney was nearing the fifth month of her pregnancy and everything was great. He loved feeling the child inside of her growing stomach move when he placed his hands on her… or him.

His family had been elated when he and Syd told them the news, though his father still claimed he was too young to be a grandfather much to the amusement of his Uncle Wes. The thoughts of new kids entered his mind again and he thought to Bridge and Z's impending twins… then his mind came to rest on his own twin.

If he ever got his hands on Jack he was literally going to tears him limb from limb. Jack had made a promise to him not too long after he and Ani had started dating. He promised never to hurt her, and now Sky was ready to cash in on his end of the deal by hunting him down and making him pay…

A sudden sense of extreme nervousness snapped him out of his thoughts. He concentrated on it and knew that it was Ani. The feeling was strong, so she must be nearby.

As he followed his senses he found her sitting in her lab staring blankly at the computer screen, tears in her eyes.

Upon hearing him enter, Ani turned and Sky instantly hugged her.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently. Ani wiped her eyes and handed him a printout. Sky looked at it strangely and handed it back. "Are you sick?"

Ani shook her head, no. "Sky… I'm pregnant," she whispered as more silent tears fell.

Sky furrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"

Ani nodded. "I took a home test a few hours ago and I just ran my blood through the scanners…" Sky held his sister as she took in his silent comfort.

Sky was at a loss. There were no words he could offer to her that would help. All he was thinking about was destroying Jack for leaving his sister like this.

"I just don't see how this could have happened," she said softly. "We had been trying for months Sky… now he leaves and I finally get pregnant? It just doesn't make any sense."

Sky ran his hands up and down her arms and tried to console her. "Ani… after we got back from the mission… were you and Jack… you know…" Even after over a year of being married, Sky still had a hard time picturing his sister and Jack together.

Ani's eyes widened and it all hit her at once. "Yeah… oh my…" she stuttered. More tears came as she realized what had happened. "His powers were stalled… it all makes sense now."

Sky's back went straight. "It doesn't make any sense what he did to you," he said bitterly. "If he ever decides to show his face around here again I'm going to make sure he feels as much pain as you are right now."

Ani wiped her eyes and laughed a little. "Schuyler, I know you want to beat him to a pulp… but he's not the only one to blame here. We both said things that we didn't mean… he just chose to leave and I chose to stay."

"So you're still defending him? After all this?"

"I love him Sky," she said gently. "Just like you love Syd. I know that if you two ever fought like this you'd be doing everything possible to make things right."

"I would… but Jack should too. He's a coward."

Ani sighed. "He's just trying to figure out what he wants. You and I had the luxury of having things in front of us… Jack was constantly trying to find his way."

"I don't care Ani. He's a jerk for running away from his problems."

"Please Sky… stop. I know he's a jerk… so am I after all this… but now," she motioned to her stomach where her hands were resting. "We're having a baby."

Sky smiled slightly at the thought of a niece or nephew. "Are you going to be alright with all this?"

Ani sighed. "I don't know… it's still kind of sinking in… I don't know how to find him to tell him…"

"Do you want to find him?" Sky asked carefully.

Ani thought for a few moments. "I… I want him to come back because he wants to… not because he's obligated by the baby."

"Are you saying you don't want to tell anyone?"

"Not until I have to… you understand that don't you?"

Sky ran a hand through his short hair. "I understand it, but I don't agree with it. I think you need to at least tell Kat… make sure you don't over do it."

Ani nodded her head a little. "I will… but you have to promise not to tell anyone Sky… please," she just about begged. "Not even mama and pop… not until I'm ready."

Sky again thought about the great secret he was being asked to keep. Of course his parents would want to know what was going on as well as his brothers. Not to mention the endless friends and relatives…

"Promise me Schuyler," she asked again. "You know I wouldn't ask unless I was absolutely certain that I knew that I was doing."

After much thought Sky finally agreed. "I promise, but you have to promise me that you'll take care of yourself… and my nephew."

Ani smirked. "Or niece." Sky smiled then and nodded. "You're the best little brother a girl could ask for," she said as she hugged him.

"Only by ten minutes," he said. "And don't worry, I won't tell Collin and Lucky." Ani laughed a bit then before deleting her files and taking her readouts.

"I'm going to head to bed," she said at last. She kissed Sky's cheek and silently made her way back to her apartment, leaving Sky debating whether or not he should have agreed to keep her pregnancy secret…

Three Months Later…

Z lay in her hospital bed as Bridge handed her the first of their newborn twins, Daniel Bridge Carson.

Not six hours ago, Z had undergone a C-Section and was now healing wonderfully and had a little boy and a little girl to call her own.

Looking down at her son, Z saw that he had deep brown eyes and dark hair just like her father had.

"Hi Danny," she cooed as the baby in her arms yawned and fell back to sleep. Bridge sat next to her with their daughter, Melina Sydney. Her hair and eyes were nearly identical to her brother's with the exception of her skin being a bit lighter.

"They're perfect," Bridge said as he kissed her. Z just smiled, still not believing that they were really hers.

Tears came to her eyes as she thought about the one person besides Bridge that she wanted here with her.

"Have they found Jack yet?" she asked. Bridge sighed.

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure he'll come once he hears," he said softly. Z had expressed wanting Jack there as soon as she scheduled her C-Section, and Bridge had begun the search.

No one in the city had seen him, so they claimed. But as he walked down the streets of New Tech one afternoon he was certain he picked up on Jack's aura nearby. He had searched and searched, but nothing had come up.

"I really miss him Bridge… how could he have just left like that? I know I'm being selfish here, but I want my brother back."

Bridge kissed her forehead. "I know… he'll come back when he's ready. You're the one that told me that," he said smiling. Z nodded and smiled when she heard the door open.

A very pregnant Sydney waddled in with Sky and Ani in tow. "Is it ok to come in?" Ani asked. Bridge and Z both nodded and walked into the room fully.

"Oh Z, they're beautiful," Sydney gushed as she looked at the little girl in Bridge's arms. "Hi Lina," she said smiling. The little girl gurgled and fell asleep, much to everyone's amusement.

Sky looked over to his sister and saw the sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Jack wasn't here," Ani said softly. Everyone in the room went silent before Z spoke.

"I know… I am too," she replied. There was an awkward silence before Syd stumbled a bit. Sky easily grabbed her.

"Syd are you alright?" Sky asked nervously.

Sydney sat down. "Yeah, I think so," she replied. A few moments later she flinched in pain.

Bridge instantly read her aura and grinned. "Um Syd… I think you're going into labor," he said.

"That's not funny Bridge," Sky said threateningly. Syd's eyes widened.

"I don't think he's kidding," she said as she held his hand. Sky's face went white and Ani almost had to laugh at him.

He had been preparing for this day for weeks and now all his well laid out plans were completely going out the window. Her ever-efficient brother was literally freaking out… she could feel it.

Bridge too was ready to laugh at his best friend. "Go to the nurse station at the end of the hall. They'll help," he said slowly.

Sky nodded and helped Syd stand as carefully as possible.

"Schuyler Meyers if you're going to treat me like I'm going to break I'm going to kill you," Sydney muttered as they walked out.

Everyone burst into laughter as they left and Ani had to wipe the tears coming out of her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever seen Sky so scared!" she burst out laughing. Z and Bridge too joined her.

'_Ani,_' Sky said to her telepathically. '_I need you to call_-'

'_I'm already there Sky_,' she said calmly. '_Go be with Syd_.' She felt Sky leave her mind and called her parents.


	9. Chapter 9

Ani sat in the maternity waiting room with her mother, father, and brothers. Sydney's parents were stuck in LA and couldn't get a flight until the morning. Syd wasn't due for another couple of weeks and they were planning on coming out in a few days anyway to be there with her.

"What's taking so long?" Lucky asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

Collin rolled his eyes. "It can take anywhere from 2 to 24 hours to have a baby," he said. Ani's eyes widened a bit and Eric didn't miss the gesture as her hand unconsciously went to her stomach.

Just as he was about to ask her what was going on, an exhausted looking Sky came out holding a small bundle in his arms, a huge smile on his face.

Everyone was on their feet as Sky held out the child. "I'd like you all to meet Amelia Animaria Meyers," he said beaming.

Taylor took the baby into her arms and looked at clear blue eyes staring at her. "Sky she's beautiful," she replied as Eric stood behind her. Sky walked over to Ani and she put her arm around him.

"You guys really decided to name her for me?" she asked softly.

Sky nodded. "For Syd's grandmother and you," he said. "Syd's passed out after all that."

Ani smiled. "I'll bet she is," she said wistfully. As she watched her family interact with Sky's daughter, she silently prayed that they would be happy with the fact that she too was pregnant.

"Do you want to hold her?" Sky asked Ani as Eric handed his daughter back. Ani nodded and took her niece in her arms. As she looked at her, Taylor and Eric couldn't help but notice the change in her demeanor. The definitely knew something was going on with her and they were going to get to the bottom of it.

The baby started fidgeting and Sky took her back. Ani watched as he descended down the hall and then turned to her family. Collin and Lucas had already headed down to the doctor's lounge so Collin could get his jacket and keys, leaving Ani and her parents.

Ani saw the look on their faces. "Are you guys ok?" she asked.

Taylor took her hands and they sat down. "I think the question is, are _you_ ok?" she said gently. Ani sighed. It was only a matter of time before it came out.

"Um… I guess I'm ok," she replied weakly.

"Animaria," Eric said warningly. "What is it?"

Ani sighed. "I'm pregnant," she whispered so softly that they barely heard it.

There was silence for a few moments before Ani saw the tears shining in her mother's eyes. Taylor had heard all of Ani's concerns for getting pregnant and she was overjoyed with this startling revelation.

"Well?" Ani questioned, waiting for the response.

Eric surprised her by being the first to grab her in his arms. Ani instantly burst into tears, not really sure as to where the emotion was coming from.

Taylor was there a moment later and Eric backed off.

For a moment he was ready to cry himself. Sure Sky and Sydney having a child was amazing, but the fact that his little girl was finally going to become a mother got him all choked up. Then the thought of Jack popped into his mind and he went back into his Silver Guardians façade.

"And Jack just left you?" he said angrily. Ani shook her head.

"No… I found out after he left." Taylor gave her a shocked look.

"Well how pregnant are you exactly?" she asked.

"Almost four months," Ani replied.

"And you haven't told him?" Taylor scolded.

"I don't want him to just come back here because I finally got pregnant mum! I want him to come back here because he loves me and wants to be my husband again."

"Animaria Jean," Eric said as he shook his head a bit. Ani put her head in her hands and groaned.

"Look, I have a feeling about this ok," she said defending herself. "If Jack loves me he'll come back sooner than later."

"Let's just hope it's sooner," Taylor said as she grabbed her daughter in a sideways hug.

"Who else have you told?" Eric asked.

"Just Sky, but I think I'm going to have to start telling people… my clothes are starting to get tight." Taylor hugged her gently before Ani stood.

"I'm going to see Syd… can we talk more about this later?" Taylor nodded her head as Eric was about to say something, but she kept her husband in check.

As Ani disappeared, Taylor crossed her arms as Eric pulled out his PDA. "What are you doing?" Taylor questioned.

"I need to find Jack… Ani doesn't realize it now, but Jack will be pissed if he finds out she's been hiding this for four months."

Taylor placed her hand on his arm. "Eric, she made her decision. It's not up to you to help."

"But she's my daughter!"

"She's mine too! She's old enough now to make her own choices, and in her scientific thinking brain she thinks this will all work out… we have to trust her."

Eric knew that Taylor was right, but he still didn't agree with his daughter's choice. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

"I just know what was going through my mind when you were pregnant. I would hate for Jack to miss out on everything," he said softly. "And if he doesn't come to his senses and come back before she's due, I want her home with us, not at the Academy by herself."

Taylor nodded and kissed him. "I agree with that." They kissed again and Taylor patted his shoulders. "Alright grandpa, let's go see our little Mia."

Eric playfully smacked her bottom and they walked down the hall…


	10. Chapter 10

Weeks later, Jack stepped off a bus into New Tech City. It had been nearly six months since he had left, and he thought that he now had a plan in his head as to what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

In his travels throughout the various costal cities, he had seen several shelters, food kitchens, and missions. All of them with the same purpose; helping the less fortunate. There was no reason why he couldn't start one of his own in New Tech while Ani still worked for SPD. They could get a house and hopefully raise a family…

Now all he had to do was find his wife and beg forgiveness for the way he walked out. He knew that things would be rough at first, but he was bound determined to make things right.

He walked down the streets towards Piggy's in hopes of finding what had been happening since he left, secretly trying to find out how Ani had been…

As he approached, he saw the customers sitting at the various tables, but no Piggy. He stood by the door, and was surprised when he was roughly pulled inside. As he landed on the ground, Piggy slammed the door shut.

"Good to see you too," Jack said as he stood. "What's wrong with you?"

Piggy crossed his arms. "Where the heck have you _been_?" the alien asked. "Almost everyday since you took off, SPD has been here asking about you, driving away all my business! What did you do?"

Jack sighed. "I needed to get away for a little bit, get some things settled," he said. "They've really been looking for me?"

"At least once a day I get Z or the Princess in here badgering me and anyone that's left about you. You should have seen them, waddling around. I wanted to laugh, but I knew Z would have killed me!"

Jack grinned a little. "I take it they had their babies then?"

Piggy grinned. "Oh yeah… it was all the buzz around the city for a little while."

"What did they have?"

"Z had a boy and girl and-"

"Wait- Z had twins!" Jack asked excitedly.

"Yeah… you didn't know? Oh, right you were gone," he said after a moment. "Anyway, she had a boy and girl and Sydney had a little girl."

Jack smiled. "Sky and Bridge but be happy."

"Oh they are… they both got promoted too… Sky's finally Red Ranger and Bridge is Blue."

"I figured that would happen eventually," he said sadly. "Anything else I should know? Have you seen or spoke to Animaria?"

Piggy sighed. "No… she started coming here a few weeks after you left, but after that she stopped coming." He sidled up to Jack. "Word has it on the streets that she hasn't left the academy in a couple of months."

Jack knew that that much was true. Ani was working… too much in his opinion. "I need to get over there, but I'm not sure how I'll be received."

"Good idea," Piggy said as he looked out the window. "But if I were you, I'd get over there soon… there's talk of some big secret the rangers are hiding…"

"Secret? Like what?"

"Not sure really… but you could find out by using your… unique ability."

Jack knew what he was getting at, and while he hadn't used his powers in a long time to sneak around, he knew he had to. It had taken time, just as Ani had said, but his powers did come back fully.

He thanked Piggy for everything and checked in to a hotel near the academy, waiting for night to fall so he could get into the academy without causing too much of a scene.

Meanwhile…

Ani was sitting in Syd and Sky's apartment holding her niece and rocking her gently.

"You're going to be such a good mom Ani," Syd said as her sister in law smiled. After Mia had been born, Ani had told her teammates and family that she was expecting and they all respected her in wanting to keep everything low key.

"Thanks Syd… I just wish Jack would come home… I miss him so much," she said sadly. The baby in her arms squirmed a little and Ani rocked her. "It's alright Mia," she cooed. The baby fell asleep and Ani felt her child move inside of her.

"He'll come back," Syd said as she took her sleeping child. "I know he will… hopefully before you leave."

Ani sighed. She was leaving for Silver Hills for the duration of her pregnancy, wanting to be with her family in case something should happen. Of course the others at the academy would be there for her, but Syd and Sky, as well as Bridge and Z were moving out of the academy walls and into houses they had found months earlier.

"Me too," she said softly as she rose. "I'm on patrol tonight… I have to head out." Even though Ani was now the head of the Science Division, she was still on active Ranger status, as were the rest of the B-Squad.

"They put you on patrol? You're six months pregnant!" Syd said laughing a little.

"It's better to walk than to sit on my ass and gain more weight." Syd laughed.

"I hear that! Just don't over do it." Ani hugged Syd and kissed Mia before she walked out into the hall…

Hours later, Ani found herself in the vehicle bay; her last stop before her patrol was over.

As she entered the darkened room, she turned on the lights and emotions swept through her… This was where she and Jack had first met… where she had literally flipped his world upside down and fallen for him.

She felt a small kick and placed her hands on her swollen stomach. "This is where I first saw your daddy," she said softly. The baby moved again and she sighed. "He'll come home soon… I know he will."

She smiled a bit before turning the lights down. As she turned to leave, she heard a noise and instantly turned back.

Using her powers, the lights were on again and she nearly fainted when she saw the intruder…


	11. Chapter 11

Ani stood frozen to the spot, tears coming to her eyes as she placed her hands on her stomach. Emotions swept through her as she stared into the warm brown eyes she had been longing for for nearly half a year.

No matter how much she wanted to run into his arms, Ani stood her ground, waiting for him to speak.

Jack couldn't take his eyes off her; his beautiful, pregnant wife… wait… pregnant!

"Hi," he said as he found his voice. Ani snapped out of her daze.

"Hi," she said softly. There was an awkward silence before Ani spoke. "What… what are you doing here?"

Jack looked at her oddly. "I… I was looking for you… how have you been?" Jack mentally smacked himself. All he wanted to do was hold her, and yet he was acting as if they just met!

Ani felt tears coming, but she refused to show weakness. Jack too didn't want to give in, but the urge was too overwhelming.

Neither one was sure who moved first, but they wound up in each other's arms with Jack gently caressing her back.

"I am so sorry," he began. "Sorry that I yelled at you and left like that." Ani nodded and pulled away slightly.

"I know you are," she said softly. Jack eyed the bump against his stomach and Ani saw tears in his eyes.

"You're… you're pregnant?" he asked softly. He hesitated a bit as he reached out to place his hands on her, but Ani took his hands and placed them on their child. The baby kicked him and they both smiled a bit. "But… how?"

Ani sniffled back tears. "That night when we found out you lost your powers… it just happened…" she said.

Jack just smiled and Ani saw that he still wore his wedding band…

"Come on," she said as she pulled away. "I think we need to talk." Jack nodded his head and followed her down the corridors towards the apartment they once shared. Things were still strained between them, but they both wanted things to go back to the way they were before any of this happened.

Jack lingered a bit behind her, trying to get his thoughts together when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, only to be caught with a fist in the stomach, sending him to the ground with a grunt.

Ani immediately turned and saw her twin standing over Jack.

"Sky!" Ani yelled as he went to grab Jack again. Sky leaned over the fallen man to hit him, but Ani raised her hand and used her powers to pull her twin away from her husband.

Sky skidded to a halt as Ani walked over to Jack. "I deserved that one," Jack said as Ani helped him. "And that's the only reason I'm gonna let it slide."

Sky stood with fire in his eyes. "You don't deserve to be here anymore. You walked out on my sister and the rest of us. Why the hell should I have any sympathy for you?"

"You shouldn't," Jack said. "That's why I came back… to make amends," he said as he looked at Ani.

Sky was fuming. "You promised me that you'd never hurt her, Jack… you broke that promise the day you walked out of here."

"Enough!" Ani shouted as she swayed a little. Jack was quick to steady her and Sky was instantly nervous. "Schuyler, I need to talk to my husband… alone. You and Jack can work out your issues later, alright?"

Sky squared his shoulders. '_Are you sure_?' he asked her telepathically.

Ani nodded. '_Trust me_,' she said back. Sky shot Jack a death glare and headed back to his apartment. She turned to Jack. "Are you alright?"

Jack nodded. "Are you?" She nodded.

"Just a little dizzy… it happens." Jack only nodded as they reached the door to the apartment. They entered and Jack was a bit shocked to see suitcases packed.

"You going somewhere?" he questioned as they sat.

"My dad suggested I move home until the baby's born just in case something happens."

"I suppose he and the rest of your family want to hit me too?"

"Pretty much, but they all know that we both messed up." Jack was about to say something when she interrupted. "We both said things we didn't mean."

"But I left you," he said. "I walked out on you rather than staying and trying to work things out."

"But I let you go… I didn't try to stop you."

"It's still no excuse for not contacting you."

"But I never tried to contact you either Jack."

Jack paused a moment and chose his words carefully. "Why didn't you… tell me you were pregnant?" he asked.

"I was hoping… hoping that you would come back for me… not just because of a baby," she said softly as she lowered her head.

Jack cautiously inched closer to her and tilted her head to meet his eyes. "Of course I came back for you… I love you. That never changed."

Jack leaned in and kissed her softly, reveling in the warmth that was coming from her. Ani leaned into the kiss and sighed as they parted.

"I love you too," she said softly. Jack pulled her into his arms again.

"I know you're still angry at me for leaving."

"Yup," she replied. "But I want to get through this… I always have."

"I know… and I've been doing some thinking about what I want to do." Ani craned her neck to look at him. "I want to open a shelter… maybe someday even a bunch of them here in the city."

"I think that's a great idea," Ani said.

"That way you could still work here, and I'd work on running everything over there."

Ani sighed as she settled into his arms. "Why didn't you think of this before?" she said half laughing.

"Plain old stupid pride," he said. "I was too proud to think of anyone but myself… I see now that I was more wrong about that than anything else," he said as he placed his hands on Ani's stomach.

Ani placed her hands over his. "I'm just glad you're back."

Jack kissed the side of her head. "Me too." Soon Ani was dozing in his arms and Jack decided to carry her down to their room. Even being pregnant, she was still light in his arms. As he laid her down and covered her, he thought of all the time he had missed with his beautiful, loving wife.

He was a fool to stay away for as long as he did. Now they were having a baby. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine this. Sure he had always held out hope, but Ani's testing had told them it was impossible.

His hands rested over his child for a few moments before he decided to get to bed himself. Not sure how she was going to receive him, Jack grabbed his pillow and kissed Ani's forehead before turning towards the living room.

However, he felt a tug on his body and turned to see Ani with her palm held out towards him. Grinning, he walked back over.

"You left me once before… I'm not letting you leave again," Ani said as Jack walked over to the bed. Once settled, Ani climbed into his arms and slept peacefully for the first time in months.


	12. Chapter 12

It had taken them a little time to adjust, but everyone, including Sky, his father, and brothers, had accepted the fact that Jack had returned and that he and Ani had reconciled. Truth be told, they were all ecstatic that Ani was finally able to enjoy her life again. While things were still a bit strained between them, Jack and Ani were getting through it as best they could.

Jack was introduced to Z and Bridge's children, Danny and Lina, as well as Sky and Syd's daughter Mia. Z and Sydney had both lectured him greatly on missing the birth of their children, and Jack did feel bad about it. The girls guaranteed him however that they would be there for his child.

Everything was right on track as far as the impending birth of his child went. He and Ani had settled into a house nearby the academy and in the same neighborhood as Sky and Sydney. Ani was in the end stages of her pregnancy and Jack had managed to get the building permits and regulations for his shelter.

Eric and Taylor had been wonderful through the entire thing, helping them out with whatever they needed. Jack's new endeavor kept him up late at night working, and Ani had spent a great deal of time with her parents while waiting for the baby to arrive.

They didn't have to wait too long before Ani was in the hospital with Jack by her side.

Ani had been in labor for nearly eight hours, and Jack knew that she was going mad with the wait.

"I want this baby out!" she said laughing. Jack kissed her forehead.

"I know you do… I do too," he replied as another contraction came over her. They were at Silver Hills Memorial, as Ani had gone into labor at her parents' house, and were waiting for the doctor to come back so they could have their child at last.

Ani felt the need to push and Jack called for the doctor again.

"I'm here," the doctor said as he entered with a nurse in tow.

Ani's eyes instantly opened and she closed her legs as best she could. "Collin! You are so not doing this!" she cried to her younger brother.

Collin Meyers grinned at his big sister. "Sorry sis, but I'm all you got. Dr. Coburn was just called in to an emergency," he said.

"No way are you looking down there!" Ani protested.

Jack grinned as the nurse went over to check Ani's vitals. "Collin's already delivered three babies today," she said.

Ani groaned at Melanie Evans. "I don't care Mel! I'm not having my little brother deliver my baby! It's just gross!"

Another contraction hit her and Jack held her hand. "Come on Ani," he said. "It's either him or me." Ani felt him kiss her forehead and tears began streaming down her face.

"Ani," Collin said gently. "You're ready to deliver, but I need you to work with me here."

Ani looked to Jack and he kissed her lips gently. She turned to Collin and Melanie at the end of her bed. "If you drop my baby the way you dropped my turtle," Ani threatened.

Jack and Melanie both stifled a laugh as Ani pushed…

Nearly half an hour later, Ani was holding a beautiful baby boy in her arms with Jack seated next to her. Jack kissed his son's forehead as Taylor and Eric walked in to see their new grandson.

The child looked nearly identical to Jack, with the exception of his skin being a bit lighter.

Eric took him into his arms and smiled at the infant. "What did you decide for the name?" he inquired.

"Well, we were thinking about it… and we decided to name him after you," Jack said.

Eric grinned. "Really?"

Ani nodded. "Eric Jackson Landors," she said proudly. Eric just stared at the child in his arms and grinned at his namesake. He couldn't have been more proud of his daughter and son in law. They had proved Ani's theory wrong and managed to bring a perfectly healthy little boy into the world.

"Is it ok to come in?" Lucas asked as he and Collin entered. Ani smiled at her little brothers as they each took their turn in holding their nephew.

Collin took little Eric into his arms and grinned. "I told you I wouldn't drop him," he said to Ani, who just stuck her tongue out at him. "You're perfectly fine little one."

Jack sat with Ani as more of their friends and teammates came in to see their little miracle. Eric and Taylor excused themselves, as did Collin and Lucas before Sky and Sydney came in.

Ani held her son as Sydney sat with her. The tension in the room was pulled as tight as it could stretch. Both women could feel the emotions bouncing off their husbands. Sky's face was stern and Jack's was a bit nervous.

Sky had accepted the fact that Ani was happy, but he was still angry at the way Jack had left his sister.

At last, Ani couldn't take it anymore. "Alright you two- I didn't go through eight hours of labor for you both to stand here and stare at each other," she said. "Sky, come hold your nephew." Sky's expression softened as he obeyed his sister's order.

"Hi there," Sky said to the infant. Everyone watch Sky cradle his nephew and Ani felt her twin's emotions change. There was no more resentment and anger towards Jack… just thankfulness and joy for Jack granting his sister's greatest wish.

"So what are you going to call him? Little Eric?" Sydney asked. "It may get a little complicated having two."

Jack smiled. "Well, I think Ani wants to call him EJ, but I don't know about that one," Jack said as he looked at his son. "He doesn't look like an EJ."

"He looks like you," Ani said laughing.

Sky looked at his nephew and saw his brown eyes open. "Jackie," he said softly. Everyone's eyes in the room lit up.

Jack smiled and stood by his brother in law. "You sure you want to call him that? You're not still pissed at me?"

"Oh I'm still pissed at you… but you gave my sister what she's always wanted and I can't stay mad at you for doing that."

Syd and Ani just smiled, finally happy that things were getting back to normal…


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Jack asked his wife.

Ani walked through the kitchen of their modest home and sat on her husband's lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him.

"I'm serious," Ani said. "I want another baby." Jack just laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "I mean Jackie's almost four… it's perfect timing."

Jack had to admit that she was right about that. Since his son's birth nearly four years ago, he and Ani had jointly opened up three shelters and a thrift shop in the city to help the homeless and orphaned. Ani was still working in the lab at the SPD academy as were the rest of the B-Squad.

Sky and Sydney had welcomed another child into their family; a son that they named Andrew Schuyler, or Drew for short. Z and Bridge were finished having children, and Danny and Lina were more than enough to keep them occupied.

"I know it's good timing, but do you remember what we went through to get Jackie? If we really honestly want another baby of our own, then that would require one of us to lose our powers."

Ani sighed. She had a plan, but she knew Jack would be skeptical. "Well… I may have a solution to that."

"What are you talking about?"

"There's a serum that Bridge and I have been developing… it's used on dangerous criminals that are in containment… it takes away their powers so in case they get released they can't cause any more problems."

"Absolutely not," Jack said. "Z told me about that stuff. It's supposed to take powers away _permanently_. Are you willing to risk that?" Ani had thought about this for a long time, though Jack already knew that. She never rushed into anything without thinking it through to the last detail.

"Hi!"

Jack and Ani both turned when they saw their three-year-old come into the kitchen rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Ani got off Jack and quickly scooped up her son. Jackie was literally a small version of his father, right down to the braids in his hair. Ani kissed his cheek.

"I'm hungry," he announced as he wiggled out of her arms and into his father's.

Ani laughed. "What do you want to eat?"

Jackie thought for a second. "Um… I want… butter toast," he said smiling. "Like Unc'a Bridge has!"

Both Ani and Jack laughed. Jackie was best friends with Danny and spent a lot of time with his Uncle Bridge and Auntie Z.

Jack bounced his son for a few moments before he turned his attention back to his wife. He knew she was willing to risk anything in order to have another child. Sure they had spoken of adoption, but they both wanted to try one more time for a child of their own. After seeing his son born and watching him grow, he too wanted another one…

"Ani," he said. Ani turned and placed the toast in front of her son as well as a cup of juice. "Are you sure you want to try this?"

Ani sat next to her two men and grinned. "Absolutely. We wouldn't use the full dosage, and I'd be sure to go over the formula again…"

Jack placed his hand over hers and sighed. "Before we do anything I think we need to ask this little guy."

Jackie turned his attention to his parents. "What I do?" he asked.

Jack kissed his temple. "Nothing… mommy and I have a question to ask you… how would you like a little brother or sister?"

"Like Danny and Lina?"

Ani nodded. "Yup… like Mia and Drew, too," she said gently. "What do you think?"

Jackie put his toast down and acted like he was thinking, something his uncle Sky did when he wanted to figure something out. Jack laughed at this gesture and Ani just shook her head. Her brother definitely had an influence over her son.

"I want one," he said after a few moments. After he said that, he returned back to his toast and Jack grinned.

"Well, if it's ok with him… I say we try it."

Ani's face lit up as she leaned over and kissed her husband hotly on the lips. When they broke away, Ani just about danced up to their room to change for work…

Later that night Ani was sitting on her bed with a covered syringe in her hands. Jack would be home from the shelter offices any minute, and she had already put Jackie to bed…

"Well, here's hoping," she said as she uncovered the needle and injected the clear colored liquid into her arm.

After a few moments, she felt perfectly fine and decided to try it out…

She lifted her hand towards a glass of water sitting on her dresser across the room. She concentrated and… nothing happened. Trying it again… she got the same result.

She sighed with relief when she discovered the serum had worked, but at the same time she felt… off. She had never been without her powers before and the realization that they were gone for the moment frightened her a bit. She was missing a part of herself…

"Are you alright?" Jack asked as he entered the darkened room. Ani looked up from where she was sitting and nodded after a moment.

"I… I just took the serum." Jack stripped down to his nightclothes and sat with her.

"Did it work?" Ani nodded a bit before Jack saw tears in her eyes. He knew all too well what she was going thorough, as he had done when he discovered that his powers were stalled. Without another word, Jack brought her into his arms and kissed her gently.

"I didn't realize how weird it would feel without them," she said softly. Jack tilted her head towards his.

"Well, seeing as it did work, I think I should try to make you feel better," he said as he trailed kisses along her collarbone.

Ani sighed contently as she lay back and remembered why she was doing all this in the first place. Soon all other thoughts were gone…

Weeks later, Ani once again found herself sitting on the edge of her bathtub counting down the seconds…

"Anything yet?" Jack called from downstairs. Ani looked at the test on the sink and sighed.

"Be patient!" she called back. After a few more moments she glanced again and felt her heartbeat increase. "Jack!"

Moments later Jack was in the doorway. Ani was in tears as he took her into his arms.

"It worked," she whispered. Jack's eyes widened and she showed him the test. Overjoyed, Jack spun her around and kissed her passionately.

A/N: ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!


	14. Chapter 14

One Year Later…

"Higher Puppa!" Drew cried as Eric pushed him and Jackie on the swing set behind his house. Eric laughed.

"Puppa's getting too old for this," he muttered to himself.

He turned when he heard laughing coming from the pool where Taylor was watching Danny, Lina, and Mia play in the water.

"You're right about that!" she shouted back with a grin. Eric just smiled and Taylor still felt butterflies in her stomach. Even after all the years they had been married she still felt like they were newlyweds… even if they did have four grandchildren now…

Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned to see Jackie getting off the swing running towards to gate.

Eric was about to follow him when he saw his son in law come into the backyard, scooping up his son.

"Uncle Jack!" all the kids chorused. Jack grinned and put his son back on the ground. The kids all got out of the pool and swings, respectively, and went to see him. Eric walked over to Taylor and crossed his arms.

Taylor held onto his arm and they both smiled as they saw Jack interacting with the children.

"Uncle Jack! Watch this!" Mia said as she waived her fist in front of herself, creating a small force field… a power she had inherited from her father.

Jack grinned as Drew picked up a rock, turning his fist into granite. He touched Mia's shield and it instantly went away, much to her displeasure.

"No fair!" Mia shouted. Jack smiled at his niece and nephew. Danny and Lina were in deep conversation with each other, and Jack instantly knew that one of them had inherited Bridge's psychic ability. They both looked at Jack and before he knew it, there was another Danny standing behind him.

Lina definitely got Bridge's powers and Danny received his mother's. All the children had begun to show signs of powers around the age of 4, including Jackie. With a wave of his hand, a floating pool toy sailed through the air into his hand.

"See daddy! I was practicing just like you said!" Jackie said happily. Jack kissed his forehead. He was very happy to know that his son had gotten Ani's powers.

"Good job buddy," he said as he set him down. "I'm going to say goodbye to nana and puppa now, then we have to go pick up the baby."

Jackie ran off to say goodbye to his cousins while Jack thanked Eric and Taylor for watching his son.

Hours later…

Ani entered her darkened house and cursed when she tripped over a small red motorcycle. Jackie was leaving his toys everywhere lately… she cursed again when she slipped slightly on some papers that she knew to be Jack's.

Shaking her head a bit and smiling she crept up the stairs to her son's room and peered inside. Jackie was nestled safely in his bed, but the cradle at the other side of the room was empty.

The renovations for the nursery were still being done, and soon her three month old would have their own room separate from her son's.

Her work had kept her at the academy way passed her normally scheduled time, but it was all worth it. She and Bridge had discovered a way to create time portals; well that was the theory anyway. It would take several more months, maybe even years before time travel was possible.

Shaking her head, she closed the door and heard her husband walking around their bedroom softly. Peaking in, she saw Jack slightly bouncing and walking their second child.

"Your mama will be home any time now," she heard him say. Ani decided to open the door and make her presence known. Jack turned to her and smiled. "Just like I said."

Ani kissed him gently and took her infant. "Did you miss me Tate?" she asked as she kissed the baby.

"Yes, she has," Jack replied as he handed her burp cloth. "She's hungry."

Ani sighed grinned happily as she settled in a large armchair her parents had bought for them in order for Ani to nurse. Jack watched in awe as Ani fed their daughter.

Tatum Elizabeth had been born three months earlier much to the pleasure of her parents and other relatives. Jackie was instantly in love with her, and Sydney was more than happy to have another niece to spoil. Tate had the same skin tone as her brother and looked to take after Jack. The one defining factor though were her bright eyes that she had inherited from her mother.

Ani felt her daughter finish her nightly feeding and handed her back to her father who promptly placed her in the small bassinet they had in their room. While Jack was doing this, Ani changed into her nightclothes and climbed into bed.

Everything in her life was great. Never had she imagined that things would work out the way they did. She had two perfectly healthy children and a loving husband. It was true that she went through much to get her picturesque life, but she wouldn't have traded anything; even the fact that she had lost her powers for nearly the entirety of her last pregnancy.

There were a few minor side effects to taking the serum that allowed her to get pregnant, including the loss of her powers for nearly seven times longer than anticipated. But as she watched Jack settle their daughter, she knew that it had been worth it.

Closing her eyes, she felt Jack's arm drape itself over her waist and she leaned into his warm body, his chest against her back.

"I love you Animaria," he whispered as he kissed her shoulder. Ani sighed contently and rolled over, kissing his lips.

"I love you Jack," she said as she felt her eyes drop closed. Jack grinned and held her close, kissing her forehead and settling in himself, finally realizing that this moment was worth everything that had happened…

'_We'll be alright, as long as you stay with me…'_

THE END

A/N: THAT'S IT! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME THROUGH THIS AND THE SERIES BEFORE! I ENJOYED WRITING THIS AND I CAN'T SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR REVIEWS!


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